11. UCLA Coming back after knee surgery and a burger binge, guard Baron Davis leads the best cast of young players in the land

Just in case third-year UCLA coach Steve Lavin was sleeping alittle too well, there was a half-facetious little ripple ofpressure that came his way at an October dinner roasting him onbehalf of the American Diabetes Association. Appearing on avideo monitor at Madison Square Garden, John Wooden noted thatthe Bruins have had topflight recruiting classes for the lasttwo years. It's not enough to win, the Wizard said to Lavin, youmust win big.

With Stanford and Washington more heavily favored in the Pac-10,Wooden probably didn't mean this year. But how many seasons canLavin hope to keep together this group of blue-chippers, whichincludes four McDonald's All-Americas in sophomore Baron Davisand freshmen JaRon Rush, Dan Gadzuric and Ray Young? Longenough, Rush believes, to win at least one NCAA title. "Thisyear, the Final Four, at least," says Rush, "and next year, thechampionship."

How far the Bruins can go will depend a lot on a healthy returnby Davis. One of the country's top point guards last year, Davishasn't played a game since tearing the ACL in his left knee inUCLA's upset of Michigan in the second round of the NCAAs lastMarch. His off-season rehab was a series of willpower tests,some of which he didn't pass. "All I did was eat," says the 6'2"Davis, last year's Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. "Fatburger,In-N-Out Burgers--I ate everywhere, everything." It was nosurprise, then, that his weight shot up by 25 pounds, to 230."It was hard trying to get through the ups and downs, workinghard but not always getting any results," Davis says. "Feelinglike, Dang, I might not ever come back."

When he does come back--Davis, who has slimmed back down to 210,should be at full strength by the end of the year--he andbackcourtmate Earl Watson will be feeding three freshmen: 6'11"Gadzuric of the Netherlands, 6'11" Jerome Moiso of France andRush, an Anfernee Hardaway type whom roomie and fellow KansasCitian Watson describes as a "workaholic perfectionist." Rushhas been playing on AAU traveling squads since he was seven, andthe experience shows. "He has very advanced offensive skills fora freshman," says Lavin, "and he is very quick."